Twitter for Dummies
(or for smart people who feel dumb
when dealing with technology)
@stevebuttry
Information Content Conductor
Gazette Communications
Edge Business Magazine, April 14, 2009
steve.buttry@gazcomm.com

Why spend time with Twitter?
1. It connects with friends, family, clients
2. It connects you with the community
3. It’s a quick source of news & info
4. You can use it quickly
5. Communication is changing and you
don’t want to fall behind

How Twitter helps journalists
1. Quickly locate eyewitnesses &
participants in breaking news
2. Connect with sources, journalists
3. Monitor community discussion
4. Promote content
5. Write tight (no lead longer than a
tweet)

How Twitter might help you
1. Connect with happy (and unhappy
customers)
2. Promote your business or organization
3. Know what’s happening
4. Stay current with trends
5. Share links to interesting blogs, reports

How do I get started?
1. Open account
2. Be sure to fill in bio, location, picture
3. Decide how to use phone
4. Follow some people
5. Start tweeting

Twitter lingo
1. Tweet, an update (noun or verb)
2. Tweeps, your followers
3. Retweet, to pass on a link or thought
(can be quote, paraphrase, starting
point)
4. Tweetup, a physical gathering of
tweeps
5. Fail whale, over-capacity graphic

Twitter basics
1. 140-character limit for tweets
2. Attribute (“retweet”) with “RT
@name”
3. Direct-message (DM) for private
communication
4. Link lots: tinyurl, is.gd. bit.ly, tr.im
5. #hashtags help searches for topical
tweets

Your first week on Twitter
1. Tweet about 10 times/day
2. Follow about 10 more people/day
3. Ask a question
4. Reply to some tweets (“@name,” click
arrow)
5. Direct-message some tweeps

What should I tweet about?
1. Link to a new blog post
2. Link to something that’s happening at
your company
3. Retweet (with a comment) a link from
a colleague
4. Reply to someone
5. Tweet something insightful or funny

Whom should I follow?
1. Competitors
2. Colleagues in other communities
3. Experts, academics in your field
4. Current & potential customers
5. Family, friends

Follow people in town
Search in Twellow or NearbyTweets
Five I follow from Cedar Rapids
1. @hidama (student and twaddict)
2. @jenneumann (marketer)
3. @jbonewald (minister)
4. @Robin_Tucker (real estate agent)
5. @christianfong (young business leader)

Follow local newsmakers
Five local newsmakers I follow
1. @lcauditor
2. @reneeschulte
3. @Pat_Shey
4. @BrentOleson
5. @benrrogers

Follow area organizations
Five local organizations I follow
1. @crairport
2. @FreedomFestival
3. @TheatreCR
4. @uiowa
5. @CedarRapidsCVB

Follow people in the area
Five I follow from Iowa City
1. @ToddAdamson (photographer)
2. @bergus (media prof)
3. @Mia_Ria (IC cop)
4. @michaelgraham (chef)
5. @TheIowaHawkeyes

Ways journalists use Twitter
1. Follow people on the beat (put their
feeds on beatblog)
2. Crowdsource (“Does anyone know
anything about …?”)
3. Story ideas (ask, monitor chat)
4. Connect with eyewitnesses
5. Drive traffic to blog posts, stories

Ways for any business to use Twitter
1. Promote events & products
2. Monitor & respond to tweets about
company
3. Advertise (or link to Gazette ads)
4. Connect, interact w/
customers, clients, prospects, competit
ors, vendors
5. Drive traffic to blog posts, web content

Twitter twists
1. Tweetbeep & Tweetscan
2. Facebook app
3. Twitpic
4. TweetDeck (& other apps)
5. Twtpoll

Ethical considerations
1. How do you identify yourself?
2. Separate personal and professional
Twitter feeds?
3. How do you verify?
4. What language is acceptable (WTF)?
5. What, if any, opinions are OK?

Advice from local tweeps
1. @bjsmith
2. @jenneumann
3. @jimbonewald
4. @DrMollieMarti
5. @hidama

Questions I asked local tweeps
1. How has Twitter helped you connect with people
in the community?
2. How have you or your colleagues connected with
clients or customers or made other business uses
of Twitter?
3. What other business or professional use have you
made of Twitter?
4. What has been your biggest problem or concern
using Twitter for business or work?
5. What's the best fun you’ve had using Twitter?

Advice from local tweeps
1. My Twitter stream
2. Search for hashtag #Edge
3. Search for terms
4. Twitter feeds into CoverItLive
5. Individual editors’ Twitter streams

Wrapping up
• Social media services, consulting from
Gazette Communidations
• These slides at slideshare.net/stevebuttry
• Follow me on Twitter: @stevebuttry
• A handout for this webinar, links to
Twitter help on my blog:
stevebuttry.wordpress.com

Some final advice
From @mathewi (Globe and Mail):
Don’t answer, “What are you doing?”
Answer, “What am I thinking?”
And from @stevebuttry:
“What do I want to know?”